Argentine War of Independence
From Freepedia
- For more background on this topic, see History of Argentina.
The Argentine War of Independence was fought from 1814 to 1816 by Argentine forces under José de San Martín against realista forces loyal to the Spanish crown. On July 9, 1816, an assembly met in San Miguel de Tucumán, declaring full independence with provisions for a national constitution.
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Background
Argentina first declared limited independence from Spain on May 25, 1810, after a brief period of political turmoil (the May Revolution) triggered by the arrival in Montevideo on May 13, 1810 of a British frigate bringing the news that Napoleon Bonaparte had invaded Spain, capturing and overthrowing King Ferdinand VII.
First Junta and Big Junta
With the power of the Crown transferred to the Regency Council in Cádiz, and besieged by French troops, a power vacuum existed and on May 25, 1810 the First Junta was created in Buenos Aires, removing viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros from authority on May 25, 1810. The junta, presided by Cornelio Saavedra (1760-1828), included Mariano Moreno (1778-1811) and Manuel Belgrano (1780-1820) and was later expanded to include deputies from the other provinces (Junta Grande or Big Junta).
Violent internal disagreements and clashes led to the replacement of the junta by a triumvirate in September 1811.
Patriot leaders remained nominally loyal to the Spanish King, but claimed the right to elect their own authorities (juntas), instead of having a viceroy appointed from Spain.
Armed Conflict
In response, royalist Spanish troops (realistas) tried to suppress these ideas, resulting in military campaigns, led on the Argentine side by General José de San Martín between 1813 and 1816.
The provisional government set up the Granaderos cavalry unit, who would become the best-trained military arm of revolution. San Martín led the rebels to victory over the Spanish forces under General José Zavala at the Battle of San Lorenzo de Parana in February 1813. San Martín was given the rank of General by the revolutionary government.
On July 9 1816, an assembly met in San Miguel de Tucumán, declaring full independence from the Spanish Crown, with provisions for a national constitution.
Annual commemoration
Today, the Día de la Revolución de Mayo (May Revolution Day) on May 25 is an annual holiday in Argentina to commemorate these significant events in the history of Argentina. This and other events of the week leading up to that day are referred to as the Semana de Mayo (May Week). The independence day is celebrated on July 9, as for the declaration of independence promulgated in 1816.
